“The four Prime Ministers of the countries of first entry emphasize that the rules must be clear not only in terms of the responsibilities of the countries of first entry, but also in terms of the rules of solidarity of the Member States, so that the responsibility is shared,” said the statement.

The four leaders also said border control procedures should not lead to the creation of large closed centers and stressed the importance of an effective return system. According to the proposal, EU authorities and agencies will conduct pre-entry screening at borders outside the bloc. This screening will include health checks, security checks, and entering data into the EU's refugee fingerprint database. The MOU seeks to strengthen the legal framework for expulsion and expand the role of the EU authorities in migration.